Snout beetles damage crops such as fruits and the present invention seeks to prevent or at least inhibit such damage.
Snout beetles are small insects that over-winter in the soil as pupae, which hatch in early spring and then crawl up the stems of plants such as vines or fruit trees to feed in the canopies on leafs and young fruits.
Snout beetle populations can be controlled by mass application of pesticides, e.g. by cover sprays of the trees.
The present invention seeks to provide an effective attractant (odorant compound or combination) for snout beetles, which can be used in effective and environmentally sound pest control to minimise cover sprays with their concomitant residue problems.